the funeral echoes [o]

[Maeve]

She hadn't strayed far. The field was empty, not far out from a small village, but far enough that she could enjoy some peace and quiet. Maeve found a bounder large enough to sit on and arranged herself a spot of tea. No self-respecting noble would ever be satisfied with tea brewed with heat supplied by an elfire, but it wasn't about the quality of the tea (overbrewed, unsurprisingly). It was about a moment of tranquility. She may be queen, but sometimes she needed time away from her court. She heard a sound--a bird, perhaps, or just an innocent bystander, but ideally not a pack of risen--and Maeve startled, tiny teacup falling from her hands. With surprising reflexes, she caught it face-down in her palm, hot water sloshing straight out of the cup. "Oh," she said with a hiss as the water scalded her fingers, and decided that she didn't care if anyone was around to disapprove of her abusing proper language, "oh, phooey."

TAG open to anyone!

[Ariel]

"To those of you whose faith had faltered, you are henceforth forgiven. I as many of you held reservations of our Lord rising. But rise He has, and anyone, Plegian or otherwise, fool enough to not swear fealty to Him surely deserve their fate." --Edict I, Grimleal High Priestess Ariel "Tsk tsk. Such dreadful manners of a woman so vaunted. As expected of a thief to the throne." The lilting dissonant melody of the Queen's counterpart was full of many tones - condescension chief among them of course, but there were others. A bit of mirth at the peculiar sight, to be sure, but also...pity? The High Priestess pitied the Plegian Queen? While Ariel herself was almost as new to her position of power as Maeve was, there was a certain...methodology to her ascension, not merely stealing the seat whilst everyone else's back was turned. It was...improper. As if the Grimleal needed more reason to detest the Throne. "Oh, don't start posturing. You are here alone, as am I - we are both women whose power lies not in the fist but in talking, so let us talk. If for no other reason than to ensure no interlopers ruin our fun of sending devoted men and women to their gruesome deaths." Of course, interlopers could easily be exactly what the High Priestess needed - the Ylissian dogs were so easy to steer once properly wound up, and while the queen must have understood that fact, there was still a chance her naiveté would prevail.

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

It surprised Maeve that she recognized the High Priestess' voice. She hadn't heard it that much in the past, but upon hearing it, her face smoothed over. If she felt pain from hand, now turning uncomfortably red, she hid it. If she was startled by Ariel's presence, she hid that too. She smiled by reflex, and it was so practiced that it even met her eyes. "The worthy will rule," she declared, and although she spoke without doubt, Maeve spoke but softly. It was a difficult task, but she flipped the teacup back right side up and set it on the boulder, the porcelain hardly making a sound. As for her hands, she folded them in her lap. Maeve didn't have to feign interest in Ariel's words. This was hardly a brokered parlay, but she was happy to have one nonetheless. "The Ylisseans, or those new-fangled knights? The Ylisseans are ever at our border, but you have heard word of my intentions, certainly. I believe in peace, with them, and with you. As for the Knights of Cydonia, I'm not sure they can be taken seriously." Maeve took them quite seriously, but she didn't mention that.

TAG Ariel

[Ariel]

"The Worthy will rule', you say. Funny how a woman's worth can change simply by being in the right place at the right time." Ariel responds with a rather playful tone - her own rise to power had been similarly abrupt, but the queen didn't need to know that. In spite of the palpable tension between the two, there rest a small smirk on the High Priestess' face, her eyes closed in thought. "You speak here of peace, but your voice alone seems drowned out by your supporters, sparse as they are. It would not surprise me to discover more than a few are hoping I kill you here, though I'll have to pass." Cracking one eye open, the young woman measured Maeve's response to her rather playful jab. To the untrained eye, one might think Ariel wasn't taking any of this seriously - and for the most part she wasn't. But about their easterly neighbors... "Ylisse is a constant bother, I will concede that much. These knights on the other hand..." The Plegian troubadour tightens the grip on her staff ever so slightly thinking of them. "They lack the conviction, public support, or funding to be of any consequence. It's exactly why I am wise to not dismiss them." The blatant contradiction was not lost on Ariel, but taking potshots at the person her devotees were adamant on killing was never a fruitless endeavor.

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

"Perhaps it is those that seize the moment that are, in fact, worthy," Maeve suggested. She wasn't sure if she believed it. What she did know was that sometimes might made right--or it was the victors that wrote history. It remained to be seen whether she'd go down as an usurper or the rightful queen. She didn't care which one as long as it meant the Grimleals weren't in power. Maeve's smile became serene; it was genuine. She laughed, as if pleased by a gift or even a witty joke. "Were I to die here, I would be replaced. Some leaders lead, but others are hoisted up by their followers. Those that do not wish to aide you in Grima's second coming will find someone else to raise up to represent their case. My will cannot die with me." The smile faded when it came to the Ylisseans. It was easy to wish for peace, but achieving it was no laughing matter. It also didn't pass her notice that the High Priestess had not written off the Knights as cannon fodder. "Would you counsel that I deny the Knights entry then? I would allow them to pass, if only because they would be more trouble to you than to the crown. I'd rather they not lead to anyone's gruesome deaths though. After all, no Plegian should die except by the hand of another Plegian, even the Grimleals," she lied. By all means, let them fight the Grimleals for her.

TAG Ariel

[Ariel]

"And you see the folly in me trying to kill you - the same folly that lays in trying to kill me. Our followers are dead set on annihilation of each other, and no voice on either side will be enough to stem the violence. Plegia's history is stained with its own blood - who are we to argue with such tradition?" It was certainly strange, talking so casually, almost gossiping with her cause's greatest enemy. Ariel took it in stride, though - maintaining a relation with the Plegian royalty, no matter how much she and her congregants hated them, could prove fruitful in the future.  And then there's the Knights of Cydonia. It was hard to comprehend what the Thief Queen had just asked - advice, from arguably the person with the most to gain from giving her misinformation. There is a small pause as Ariel determines what to say. "I am hardly the person you want to ask for affairs of the crown. All I know for sure is that barring them entry will make it seem like there is something to hide - and it's not as if our little squabble hasn't attracted attention from our neighbors." It was curious, why the knights immediately thought to march straight into the middle of a blood-soaked field of battle. "...Or is that it? Does Her highness have skeletons in that wide open a closet?" The priestess isn't expecting to get any information she can use. But on the off chance Maeve isn't paying attention to her words, she might get something useful after all...

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

"I would deny it, but for the war to end, first we must fight the war." What was the saying? You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs? "Don't you see," she said, not sure a philosophical bid for peace would hold any water against Grima's most faithful, "we cannot be bound by mere tradition. Uphold it, honor it, then destroy it. We must surpass our forefathers, not became shadows of them, else we are nothing but pawns to the whims to fate. Are we not strong enough to make our own fate?" Maeve tilted her head, giving Ariel's words as much respect as she would any of her closest advisers. They were enemies, she was aware, but they shared a common country and perhaps--in the Ylisseans--a common enemy. She smiled, radiant in the way that kings and queens were in storybook tales. "I have nothing to protect but my nation's pride. I will not allow dogs to trespass on our lands for no reason." She ran her hands over her skirt, smoothing the cloth down and drying her hands at the same time. "But tell me, why this visit? Your company is as welcome as any Plegian citizen's, but surely you must have something you wish to discuss?"

TAG Ariel

[Ariel]

"War is a game played by the rich to the deaths of the poor." It seemed a little eerie for the queen to go philosophical in her ramblings of peace. Not that the Priestess was unable to understand, but thinking about thinking seemed tautologically boring at best and sanity-gnawing at worst. There was, however, a plea buried in the royal's words - to stop war for the sake of not being lost to history. It was a noble goal, Ariel admitted to herself. A powerful goal. A useful goal.  A stupid goal. The Plegian throne was hellbent on robbing the Grimleal of any manner of power they had - and while Plegian solidarity under one flag  would make for a powerful force to be reckoned with, neither woman was willing to give up their stake at that power. Such is war. "You fear of losing notoriety to the aeons of time. It's understandable, such a short, uneventful reign as Queen would be glossed over by historians. Myself, I have no such fears - Grima shall finish what he started nearly a quarter-century ago, and I will stand by his side as his dutiful servant as Ylisse burns. I do not pretend to be higher than God, but as His blessed Priestess I am confident my name and lineage shall become revered like the Kings of old." There's a sigh of resignation as Ariel takes a step closer, very blatantly invading the queen's personal space. "But I suppose it's no use preaching to those who refuse to see the truth presented in front of them. Were you to see the Truth of our ways, I would be happy to ensure your place in the Fell Dragon's graces." That place was as a meal for Grima, her skull saved to affix to the shrines to the God, warning away trespassers. Of course, all that went unsaid behind Ariel's playful smile. "But I suppose there is something I wish to know from you. These knights seem quite adamant of interrupting our tradition of bloodshed. Praytell, what madness brings them here?" Expecting to get anything while giving up nothing is ludicrous (and an affront to basic economics). But in this case, it wouldn't hurt to try fishing for information. And if she had to exchange information with the queen to get something of her own, then so be it.

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

"I would rather reign as a forgotten queen than serve any god, let alone one of destruction." Was that blasphemy? Perhaps. They were also the truest words she'd spoken thus far. She froze when the High Priestess stepped closer. She remembered her spells, knew where her tome was. For a second, she appeared more like a deer caught in the headlights, but then Maeve was frozen like ice, with a smile that looked like winter. "A generous offer, Holy One, but I fear I must decline." The Ylisseans was an easier topic to handle. It was familiar waters. You could hardly go a day in Plegia without noting how much you loathed the Ylissean dogs. (That too must end, Maeve believed. The had stagnated their nation.) "I have not spoken to them yet, but I will. If I do not like what I hear from them, know that I will tell you. Against an upstart brigade, we have a common nuisance. Should they fall at your hand, it is still Plegia's triumph." Yet she was arranging a parlay with the knights already, and she had sent her missives to Ylisse too. Plegian pride didn't stand in way of her search for allies to cement her power. That's what made it particularly brazen of her to add, "They won't interrupt. Our war is ours. Plegia can settle its own matters." Was it an interruption if Maeve invited them to join?

TAG Ariel

 

[Ariel]

"You seem so sure they will not interrupt - I myself am not so certain. The Ylissan dogs have that nasty habit of thinking such bloodshed is offensive. They may try stopping it themselves." A third party entering the conflict could have any number of outcomes - none of them easily predictable, but most of them beneficial to some degree. Ariel took a step back to where she stood previous, once the queen had proven less easy to bully than she had hoped. Then again, that would have made things all too easy. "Should my forces encounter these Knights, rest assured they will be dealt with." Of course, by "encounter" The Grimleal Priestess meant "run to warn" and by "dealt with" she meant "goaded into attacking Royal Troops", but it would be foolish to assume the queen's plans were too dissimilar. After all, that trait of Ariel's was one that had proven time and again to save Grimleal lives under her rule - The Priestess always assumed her counterpart was at least as smart as she was, until proven otherwise. Ariel closed her eyes and chuckled softly. "Look at us. Two women with hundreds of fervent followers each ready to die in our name to destroy the other, while We ourselves can speak so...casually, almost as if we've been friends since before we could walk." There's a certain serenity in the brunette's voice, one eye peeking open out of morbid curiosity. "Really makes you wonder if Plegia's people would even need a war as an excuse to fight to the death, doesn't it?"

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

"Ylisse seems to think the entire continent's affairs are it's own." It was remarkable, honestly, how almost all Plegians could come together to criticize Ylisse. "I believe it's part of their national culture, and I try not to judge them too much for it." She breathed easier when Ariel stepped away, frozen no longer. Maeve wondered how her father had dealt with the Grimleals when he reigned. Then she remembered how he died. She probably didn't want to ape her father's tricks; may he rest in peace. "You are my greatest enemy, Holy One. How history will remember either of us will depend heavily on the other. In that way, you are closer to me than my friends," Maeve said, but she had no one to call friend. Other people did though; she made assumptions about what that must be like. Wide-eyed and genuine, she added, "Besides, though we are mortal enemies, that's hardly a reason for me to be uncouth. I would not even know how to be uncouth!" She wondered if the High Priestess' serenity was real. Was it something the woman had learned, a skill that she was taught or that she acquired through practice or hard work? Or was it simply her nature--that her faith in Grima had caressed away all worries. Maybe it was something else; maybe it was just her force of will. In a way, Maeve admired that. "It is not something I wonder about. The fighting must end. The death must end," Maeve said softly. Her voice carried a light tremor, only a tiny bit out of her control. Conviction claimed her words. "We are too mighty to fall upon our own sword."

TAG Ariel

 

[Ariel]

"Plegian Royalty has turned falling on its own sword into an art form. As such a strong proponent of the arts, I would be remiss to deprive you of such." Ariel giggles once again, possibly laughing at her own joke. It wasn't that untrue, numerous Kings and Queens of Plegia had met their end by wars they could ill afford - at least the Grimleal had the sense to be forced by their enemies to choose new leaders. "But if you are so dedicated to ending this war, well...you're the Queen. You hold sovereignty over every Plegian Citizen - tell them to stop fighting. I can offer suggestions, advice to my followers; commanding them is beyond my power. But if you can truly stop your people from attacking mine, I will see to it this squabble is not exacerbated." It was a bit risky, the High Priestess giving her word like that. But she knew as well as the Queen that simply asking her people to cease fighting would only earn her a blade in the gut. And truth be told, while the High Priestess could not enforce commands issued in her and Grima's name, suggesting further conflict would be more than enough. The Fell Dragon had returned, and that alone would swell the Grimleal ranks enough to outlast the ever-dwindling Royal Guard. "How we are seen in the future is no real concern of mine. The world sees us as a pair of catty young women in a pissing match on an empire-wide scale. This is how we have been cast, and even if we became fervent lovers I doubt the history texts a decade after our passing would portray us as having anything less than abject hatred for each other." Ariel's calmness in the wake of such a bawdy claim was certainly intriguing - she appeared blasé to the point of nonchalance, but behind the mask was...a good deal the same, albeit accompanied by that little devil, constantly plotting on how to gain an edge. It made her dangerous, but it also made her approachable.

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

Maeve laughed at the joke, but she didn't sound amused. It was a bit of a girlish giggle, light and airy, without any substance or mirth behind it. But it had been a jape, and when someone japed, you laughed. It would be awkward and uncomfortable not to. "Indeed, I thank you for your touching consideration towards your succession rituals." "I wish that I could--truly, I do. Yet I must heed the counsel of my betters. Those that seek to complete this war may raise any other queen to the throne, and I do not wish to be supplanted so soon." Making a bid for an early end to the war had been her first suggestion, and it had not gone over well. It would make her seem weak (Maeve was perfectly content with being thought of as weak if other people stopped dying). It would lose her all her military support. It would lose her any hope of long-term negotiations with Ylisse and Ferox. It would be what her father had done, and he'd died. Suddenly, she sighed deeply, a small pout forming. Maeve wished she had a fervent lover; she didn't wish it was Ariel, though. "Would that I had such a maudlin romance." She cast those thoughts aside as much as she could. "I shall speak to my council, Holy One. I will speak of peace, I promise you that. Perhaps their opinion will be different if they know that you would not feed all my supporters to Grima as a light snack." Her own joke; it wasn't funny either.

TAG Ariel

 

[Ariel]

"I may be Grima's voice, but I am certainly not His caretaker. My Lord is not so decrepit as to need anyone to feed him." Ariel winks at the queen, waiting for a split second to gauge the initial reaction before chuckling again. "But I suppose you have a point. I admit there is a soft spot for Plegia in my heart, in spite of your wretched heathen ways. If our Lord needs 'a light snack' as you put it, the Ylissian dogs are first. Then Ferox, then Valm. There will be plenty of time and opportunities to redeem yourselves." Maeve and her trusted advisors would be reserved for ritualistic sacrifice, of course, but in the interest of keeping face Ariel kept that to herself. When the Queen's tone shifted to romance, the High Priestess felt a little uncomfortable, her cheeks starting to darken with blush. It wasn't anything she had really thought of...though it was hard to overlook the physical allure either of them possessed - surely their beauty didn't hurt in gathering able-bodied men willing to fight for their cause. "If you live long enough, I'm sure you can find some drunken-looking sop who has mastered his sword." It's difficult to say if Ariel was just making a face-value remark, or implying something else entirely. The two stood in silence for several moments before the Grimleal Hierophant changed the subject once more. "There is one thing that I still find myself curious about - The Risen." Well, that would certainly explain their scarcity in Plegia of late, if the Grimleal had lost the ability to call them endlessly. Maeve was in a position to possibly broker a deal to strike a crippling blow against one of her enemies...if Ariel was being honest in her naiveté. That said, it could also be part of an elaborate ruse. There was no way to tell.

TAGS Maeve

 

[Maeve]

Not so decrepit as to need someone to feed him, no. Yes, so decrepit and dead that he needed a madman to revive him. Maeve didn't say that aloud; instead, she did her best to look injured and to defend herself: "Heathen? Why, it's not like I've taken up the worship of Naga." Nor would she. Naga seemed like a more reasonable god than Grima, Plegia owed Naga no debts. If anything, the worshippers of Naga had caused as much chaos and destruction to Plegia as the Grimleals had. "Drunken sops, indeed. I cannot discern if you have a fondness for such sorts or if you would curse me with their company. Ah, but it would be so pleasantly mundane," Maeve said. She punctuated the statement with laughter, gentle but perhaps bitter her lot. It was not wise for queens to dabble in love. Risen. The risen were a problem, yes. The risen were her adviser's most favorite problem, in fact. Laughter silenced, Maeve's lips pursed--she had no problem showing her concern. "What of the Risen?"

TAG Ariel